ADHD
Chore charts for kids with ADHD
A dense grid is a working-memory test. Kids with ADHD often can do the job and cannot hold the list. Design for that, not for a Pinterest aesthetic.
Three jobs, same order, same time, someone in the room at the start. That beats a laminated 12-row masterpiece.
Design rules
Large checkboxes. One page. No tiny fonts. Put a clock time on each row. Use a timer they can hear. Let them pick the pen color — novelty is a legitimate tool.
Rewards should land the same day
A prize in three weeks is a rumor. Daily privileges or a same-evening checkout work harder than a distant pizza party.
Questions parents ask
- Is this “giving in”?
- It is matching the tool to the nervous system. You still expect the job. You stop expecting a wall of text to do the reminding.